You might be familiar with the medical and caregiving roles of a certified nursing assistant. The name, after all, alludes to the medical nature of the role. Here’s a look at some of the daily tasks for CNAs in Lynden, Washington. These tasks also are typical of other long-term care centers and nursing homes in the greater Bellingham area:
- Ensure that each resident’s plan of care is carried out, including activities of daily living, mobility, eating, toileting, range of motion, bathing, grooming, positioning and basic skincare.
- Assure resident safety.
- Transport wheelchair users to activities and meals.
- Apply and monitor resident safety devices.
- Practice infection control measures.
- Keep resident rooms neat and tidy.
- Attend in-service training, as requested and required.
- Learn more about the duties of a CNA on this web page.
Each of these is a critical task dedicated to ensuring that residents and patients receive the care and attention they deserve.
But CNAs are so much more. We get into this line of work because we love people and love helping ensure that their lives are as enjoyable as possible. So, sometimes work can take on a completely different form.
Perhaps you’re listening to residents tell stories from their youth or share tales of their grandchildren’s antics.
Maybe you’re offering stories of your own, chatting with residents as you move them into bed or help transport them to the dining room.
You might be offering comfort, helping residents celebrate holidays, teaching them how to use technology, or just being a friend.
“Other titles include actor, thanks to our ability to transform into characters we may need to play in order to brighten the mood of our clients,” writes Karren Ganschinietz on the National Association of Health Care Assistants blog. “Waitress, beautician, bus driver, housekeeper are other roles we play. Even pastor, mailman and characters associated with holidays.”
Some CNAs even feel honored to sit with residents as they pass away, standing in for family who can’t be there at the time. After all, it can be important — if the residents desire it — to help them understand in their last stages of life that they are loved and that they are not alone.
CNAs are critical to the medical profession and the long-term care industry. They care for people’s physical and medical needs, primarily, but they also play an enormous role in their mental and spiritual health, too.
Please take a look at our upcoming CNA training classes in Whatcom County and consider whether becoming a CNA might be a great career choice for you.
